The Essential Tips Relating To Transgenic Crops Transgene

By Jason Long


A transgenic plant basically contains genes that have been inserted artificially rather than the plant acquiring them normally through pollination. These inserted genes are normally referred to as transgene. These artificially inserted genes can be obtained from another plant which is not related to the plant receiving the genes. The genes may also come from a totally different species. Transgenic crops transgene are sometimes known as genetically modified plants.

All the crops that people consume today were genetically modified in one way or the other to become what they are today. This is because these plants were once wild and had to be domesticated through selection, breeding that was controlled and a series of tests that took significant amount of time.

A plant breeder will try to assemble combination of genes basically in a crop which makes the plant more useful and also more productive than before. Depending on the purpose and where the plant is to be grown, these desirable genes may actually provide several desirable features such as improved quality and higher yields among other features.

Some of improved qualities that can be inserted in a plant include drought resistance, higher yields, pest resistance, and disease resistance. Reduced maturity period, prolonged ripening period for tomatoes, resistance to cold, tolerance to heat are among other features that can be introduced in a plant. Combining several good genes in one crop may sometimes prove to be a difficult task that may take years to achieve the intended results.

To combine all of the above traits in just one crop can actually be hectic thing to do since it requires series of testing and there is no guarantee of success. There are many benefits that can be reaped from GMO plants. GMO products are said to have longer shelve life making them very safe when in transit. GMOs are friendly to environment due to the following reasons. First this plant will not require any insecticide spraying because they are resistance to insects.

The technology is quite good at identifying genes and isolating genes so as to control specific characteristics or features in single kind of organism. The copies of such genes are then moved to another different organism which basically acquires those characteristics. These powerful tools equip the breeders with the ability to continue with their production of new and improved crops.

There are pros related with the production of such crops and there are also some cons associated with the plant. Seeds are genetically modified for various reasons which may include improved resistance to diseases, generating healthier plants and producing insect resistance plants. The above traits have the ability to lower the chances of plant failure and enhance plants resistance to extreme weather.

Land required to grow GMO plants is not big thus resulting to minimized environmental pollution, and less gas emission from greenhouse. More land is dedicated to farming by farmers as opposed to real estate.

Less land is required for these GMO plants hence resulting to reduced environmental pollution, less soil erosion, and less greenhouse gas emissions. Enhanced productivity that is as a resultant of GMos may convince more farmers to dedicate their lands for farming rather than for real estate. The negative impact of GMO is the food allergies associated with it. The crops when consumed in large proportions have the potential to lower resistance of a person to antibiotics.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment